The present invention relates to a stacking device. It is known to place uniform, especially platelike pieces on a conveyor belt individually from a supply device and to stack them in a container after running through one or more processing stations. Thus, for example, circuits of small dimensioning are produced in series production where a plurality of small surfaces of determined configurations on a thin metal plate having a relatively large surface area are first coated with insulating material, for example, glass or ceramic material. A conductor layer consisting of tantalum, for example, is then applied to this plate. This is effected, as a rule, by means of steaming on or dusting on the coating material in a receptacle which can be evacuated. The method is effected in that plates are introduced into a vacuum chamber (receptable) which contains a target consisting of a coating material, an atomizing gas, e.g. argon, is then introduced into the chamber at reduced pressure, and an electrical voltage is applied to the target in order to generate a plasma between the target and the plate so that a coat of target material is precipitated on the plate. The passage of the plates through the coating station is effected in a continuous manner at the speed determined by the conveyor belt. Next, the plates, which are coated on one side and over their entire surface area, are stacked in a container arranged within the chamber and remain in the container until they have cooled sufficiently. The plates brought foward by the conveying device are deposited in the container in such a way that the layer side and the back side of two adjacent plates lie one on top of the other.
The plates removed from the container are engraved outside of the chamber in order to produce the conductor texture. The surface formation is then punched out of the plate and provided with connection wires.
Plates which were stacked in the vacuum chamber in the manner described above showed differing engraving behavior in the area of the insulating layer in subsequent engraving processes. The conductor layer was very difficult to engrave in some places on the coated surfaces and therefore led to undercuts in other places. The reason for this is that the relative movements of the stacked plates cause an abrasion of the back sides of the plates, which are not coated, and, in addition, the weight of the stack on the raised places on the insulating layer produces pressure marks within which the coating material is compressed.